‘Mice were jumping off cliffs’: Survivor reveals how pine cones ‘exploded like grenades’ and scorched victims emerged like ‘lifeless zombies’ from their homes amid 45ft ‘Dante’s Inferno’ blaze in Greece
Traumatised survivors have described how 45ft flames tore through Mati, Greece, at an ‘unbelievable pace’
‘Blowtorch’ forest fire, that killed at least 85, was so intense it caused pine cones to explode ‘like grenades’
Some who remained in their homes in the village emerged looking like ‘lifeless zombies’ with terrible burns
Horrifying witness accounts emerged as pictures showed coffins being transported to morgues in Athens
By JULIAN ROBINSON
DAILYMAIL.COM
26 July 2018
Traumatised survivors have revealed how a 45ft ‘Dante’s Inferno’ that ripped through a Greek resort was so intense pine cones exploded ‘like grenades’ and mice were ‘jumping off cliffs’.
Some who remained in their homes emerged ‘looking like lifeless zombies’ with terrible burns after the rampaging forest fire swept through Mati, 25 miles from Athens.
Others spent hours swimming in the darkness after plunging into the sea as flames raged towards the shoreline, devouring houses and cars at an ‘unbelievable pace’ and spreading panic among locals.
New witness accounts of the tragedy, in which at least 85 were killed, emerged as coffins were transported to morgues in Athens and relatives of the dozens still missing gathered to have their DNA tested hoping to locate their loved-ones.
One man, Stelios Nikolaou, whose house was left in ruins, likened the fire to ‘Dante’s Inferno’ and was barely able to get his wife, son and dog, Fidel, out of the house before dashing to the sea amid chaos and confusion in the village.
‘Flames 15 metres high were ripping down the slope at an unbelievable pace,’ he told Anthee Carassava for The Times.
‘People were screaming, cars were exploding, pine cones were popping like grenades. One of them even hit Fidel, setting him ablaze and forcing me to throw him into the sea. The fire was so hot and the destruction so overwhelming that even mice were jumping off the cliffs, diving into the sea.’
The family swam in the sea for hours with hundreds of others before rescue crews arrived. But as they waited they witnessed the haunting image of elderly people emerging from their homes with terrible burns having apparently remained in their homes or been unable to flee in time.
Nikolaou’s wife likened them to ‘lifeless zombies — their faces completely charred and their clothes glued to their bodies’. She said the pensioners collapsed ‘one by one’ as people rushed to help them.
Dozens of people are still unaccounted for but search and rescue teams have scaled back their house-to-house searches looking for bodies.
Authorities believe many of those listed as missing are dead with their remains in the Athens city morgue. Relatives have been told to provide DNA samples so that identification can be carried out.
Many of the bodies are burned beyond recognition and can only be identified by dental records.
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